Primary sources provide raw information and first-hand evidence. They are contemporary sources to the historical topic at hand. With this understanding, it makes sense that it is not always easy to uncover them. In particular when topics date back centuries. Fortunately there are a lot of places to look both in our library collection and databases, as well as via credible resources online. This page provides information on how to access some of these resources.
Some examples of primary sources:
There are several library databases that specialize in primary sources. Visit the library's A-Z database list and use the drop down menu from Database Type to choose Primary Sources. This limits the list to only those with primary sources. Here are some examples of our primary source databases.
Other examples of books in our collection that include primary sources:
Florence Nightingale: Letters from the Crimea, 1854-1856 by 
From the End of the Peloponnesian War to the Battle of Ipsus by 
The Intolerant Middle Ages: a reader by 
A Reformation Reader: primary texts with introductions by 
Sources of the Western Tradition by A few search terms for primary sources:
1. Add the term sources to your search and that will return resources in your topic area that include primary sources (e.g. Middle ages sources). Look through the search results for books with subject headings that include the term sources at the end of the subject string. Here is an example in our catalogue of how that looks.
2. Add the term correspondence to your search and that will return resources in your topic area that are letters or correspondence. Look through the search results for books with subjects headings that include the term correspondence at the end of the subject string (e.g. Florence Nightingale correspondence). Here is an example in our catalogue of how that looks.
3. Choose the Author Browse search, if your topic includes or is about an historical figure. This helps find books or materials written by that person (e.g., Winston Churchill). Works written by an historical figure are considered a primary source. Autobiographies are also considered primary sources. When you use the browse search, it will return results in alphabetical order of all authors with that last name. Click on the one you are searching for. Here is an example in our catalogue of a work written by Churchill on the Second World War.
Two library resources that offer a broad range of primary sources:
Milestone Documents in World History by 
Milestone Documents of World Religions by There are many webpages and online repositories that curate links and collections of primary source documents. Here a list of some we have discovered that seem particularly useful.